journamalism

We Need To Harsh on Barbara Walters For a Minute

Here is a fun behind-the-scenes glimpse from the nauseating world of sycophantic television journalism*: leaked emails show that the normally-benign daytime tube fixture Barbara Walters tried to help a 22-year-old press aide to murder-hungry Syrian despot Bashar al-Assad obtain preferential treatment with the Columbia University Admissions Office shortly after Walters conducted her interview with Assad, which the aide helped to arrange. Conflict of interest much? Nah. This must be why Walters also offered to help the press aide, Sheherazad Jaafari, obtain a “journalism internship with Piers Morgan,” which then again sounds like such a transparently fake position that we might even hope Walters was trying to prank Jaafari.

*Journalism of any kind is not to be confused with “humor blogging,” a basic distinction that nonetheless eludes the crabby wingnuts who frequently write in to your Wonkette to notify us that our “reporting” is “biased.”

Nope, not a prank. Barbara Walters appears to have bonded quickly with the young upstart over… what, the common interest they share in speaking with bloodthirsty dictators for a living? Sure.

When Miss Jaafari returned to New York she reached out again to Walters, whom she referred to as her “adopted mother”. In return, Walters called her “dear girl” and sometimes signed off “Hugs, Barbara”.

They met for lunch at the Mark Hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in late January, where Miss Jaafari apparently asked for a job at ABC News. Walters said she refused but offered to use her contacts to help her in other ways.

Shortly afterwards, Walters emailed the young Syrian saying: “I wrote to Piers Morgan and his producer to say how terrific you are and attached your résumé.” She also asked whether Miss Jaafari was still planning on applying to Columbia University and offered to help.

A week later, Walters emailed Richard Wald, a professor at the Columbia School of Journalism and the father of Jonathan Wald, Morgan’s executive producer.

Walters described Miss Jaafari as “brilliant, beautiful, [and] speaks five languages” and asked whether there was “anything you can do to help?” Prof Wald replied that he would get the admissions office to “give her special attention”.

…

Miss Jaafari was part of a young circle of aides who advised Mr Assad to speak to the Western media as evidence of atrocities mounted. When he agreed to the interview with Walters in December, Miss Jaafari wrote a list of talking points advising that the “American psyche can be easily manipulated” if he were to make a limited expression of regret. Miss Jaafari did not respond to phone calls, texts or emails.

So let’s just say it sounds more like Barbara Walters was the one who got pranked here.

And yes, we know all of you are going “yeah, yeah get back to me when you’ve got basement party pictures of White House communications staff lined up to give spanks to a naked Jake Tapper and even then we decline to be scandalized,” but what is it, your birthday? [Telegraph]

“Wonkette is biased”—-Crap I have been using it as my only source of news.

Dr_Zoidberg

Still better than Faux News.

Guppy

Ditto, but mostly because the "news" is too depressing otherwise.

Joey_Blau

I have been using it as a study aid in my math class

Dr_Zoidberg

'Journalmalism'.

Terry

“journalism internship with Piers Morgan,”

Will Piers teach him how to hire guys to break into voice mail accounts?

Schmannnity

Maybe she could spin off a Syrian-themed show from The View–A View To A Kill.

BigSkullF*ckingDog

Guys do this kind of shit 20 times a day for young hot chicks. All this story does is confirm that Barbara Walters has a dick.

BaldarTFlagass

I don't understand why anyone on the right would visit this site. I never visit rightwing sites, and wouldn't even if they had a funny one. Which they never will, because they are missing the "funny" chromosome. Which probably explains a lot.

Several years before the beginning of time (Internet Time) I moderated a forum on CIS and interviewed Ms Walters after she appeared at a foreign affairs seminar at my school. Speaking to her is like encountering a new English dialect for the first time – you have to listen in confusion for a few minutes before you start to understand that the language is English.

anniegetyerfun

I've always been confused about her speaking. I have been told that the way she speaks is supposedly old-school Northeastern dialect from the early days of TV, but I saw her in a gasoline commercial from the 1950s, and she didn't sound like that at all (also, no one else EVER talked like she does, so it's not a dialect). It's like some late-onset speech impediment, and it grates my nerves.

Then again, so does Barney Frank. I love the guy, but can't listen to him talk.

BigSkullF*ckingDog

she had a stroke but kept it secret, allegedly*

allegedly=I just made this up

BaldarTFlagass

I think Prozac can cause the lisp.

James Michael Curley

I remember that there was a so-called TV dialect but don’t remember much about it. Huntley and Brinkley were considered to be the prime examples and Walters started off there if I remember correctly.

prommie

Its reverse Dutch, then?

James Michael Curley

No she just sat there and avoided looking at the bill when it came.

Chichikovovich

I have a hunch Sheherazad will be a success in American journalism, since it rewards the ability to spin out fantasy stories.

Guppy

I'm not sure that only one a night is a sufficient rate, though.

Diabeetis

Pity she couldn't get him to cry.

James Michael Curley

Happy IPv6 Day! Your browser is doomed.

Guppy

I've got IPv6 all the way up to my cable modem!

James Michael Curley

A couple doses of Kayopectate should help.

Doktor StrangeZoom

Assad's national media is adept at shaping a single message sent down from its bosses, no matter how bogus or contradictory the claims. Ms Jafari clearly should have been trying for an internship with Fox.

anniegetyerfun

I am going to start writing anonymous letters to Wonkette now saying that I don't believe that Jim has America's best interests at heart. Also freedom troops.

SorosBot

But in the interview, was Walters able to make Assad cry?

Steverino247

"Mr. Assad, if you were a tree upon whom would you fall and crush?"

OneYieldRegular

It's unfortunate that this came to light. I mean, she seemed like the perfect dormitory roommate for Gulmara Karimova.

MosesInvests

Only if there's a webcam in there.

Beowoof

Baba Wawa is a hard hitting jouwnalist. Her interwiews suck more than Piers Morgan. I never thought I would miss Warry King.

prommie

Ah fuck it all, nothing now can ever gang to no guid.

Biff

Anyone else think Assad looks like Walker?

JustPixelz

"…crabby wingnuts who frequently write in to your Wonkette to notify us that our “reporting” is “biased.”

"'American psyche can be easily manipulated' if he were to make a limited expression of regret. "

Wow! Babs is right! This woman is a sharp!

MosesInvests

OT-A salute to the brave men who went ashore in Normandy on this date in 1944, who by the way included James (Scotty) Doohan, of the Royal Canadian Army, and David Niven, Royal Army. True story-when Niven was talking to his troops on the ship the night before D-Day, he told them "It's all right for you chaps-you only have to land once. I shall have to do it again with Errol Flynn."

So according to Barb 1/3 of the reason she's qualified is that she's hot? Does she give good hand jobs too Barb? Or….. Wait…… Are she and Barb thespians?

Chick-Fil-Atheist™

Man, I'm spankin' it thanks to that Jake Tapper visual.

owhatever

Wingnut note to Babwa…it's called a bribe.

Wile E. Quixote

“journalism internship with Piers Morgan,”

Isn't that kind of like claiming that working the counter at McDonalds is a "management track position"? Or is it more like claiming that being a half-term governor of Alaska and John McCain's VP choice qualifies you for the presidency?